The Haunted
by High Lord Reficul
Summary: Hermione get's a companion, not in a physical sense. Confusion and hate lead her astray on her path to adulthood. Will she ever return to normality? Read to find out. Please R/R an no flamers.
1. Dominus est maior

The Haunted - Chapter I

**The Haunted**

**Chapter I – Dominus est maior**

The soft breeze playing at Hermione's neck, the scent of loneliness and hatred infesting the surrounding air. The noise of a single owl hooting in the sinister forest. The rest of the Gryffindor's were still back in the common room as a group, Hermione had distracted herself from the what she thought a intimidating atmosphere. _Why must I be the lonely one?_ She thought as a single pearly tear dripped from her chin shattering at the stone-cold floor. The darkness was closing in upon her. The self hatred turning into fear and jealousy. The clock chimed and the moon shone down upon the gleaming almost perfectly smooth lake. The forest with it's infinite darkness.

She heared footsteps as Snape ran down the front steps a couple of storeys below her. She slipped on a mossy patch just managing to grab a gargoyle behind her. _Why am I finding this so hard? _Hermione thought as she peered over the edge of the ledge. The thought of death swarmed in her head. She closed her eyes and stepped up to the rim of the ledge. She started to hear a cackling. She stepped back opened her eyes and looked around, Snape had gone back into the building and there was no one around. She closed her eyes again and yet the cackling started again, more fiercely. As a cold voice whispered into her ear 'Mortem discedem'. A very strong, disturbing wind hit Hermione at a catastrophic force. She fell cracking her wrists on the stone. A gaping wound bled profusely from her leg. She closed her eyes as her tangled body lay there as if her life had already been torn from her. She tried to stand up her leg shaking. The cackling continued as a fog descended upon her, she wanted to get off the ledge. She stepped forward.

*****

'Dominus est maior' a sweet voice said.

'What?' said a familiar voice coming from somewhere near. Hermione opened her eyes. Her vision was very impared. She did realize she was in the hospital ward.

'It means 'The master is stronger'' said the first voice now recognisable as Madam Pomfrey.

'The master obviously meaning Voldemort' said the second voice now matched up to Albus Dumbledore.

'It was carved upon her stomach when we found her' said Madam Pomfrey in a mystical voice.

'I guess he means stronger by gaining another Death Eater: Hermione' said Dumbledore in a very bland voice.

'She is one of the best pupils, how…' started Madam Pomfrey as Hermione let out a cry and the two ran into the ward.

'Ahhhhh, your awake' said Dumbledore 'How are you feeling?'

'Not very good' stated Hermione 'What happened'

'You were found face down on the concrete steps, you probably fell, it was a great distance, about from the 3 storey. You were almost dead. If you had not made that thudding noise on your contact with the stone you would surely be dead. You had broken your legs, arms, five ribs, cracked your skull, lost almost half of your blood, your heart had stopped and there was a mysterious carving on your stomach. In Latin. It seems to have been done by the Dark Lord himself, claming you as his,' said Dumbledore 'Of course with the power of magic we managed to heal you up. Why were you upon that ledge Hermione, what happened?'

Hermione started to explain the events as a searing pain hit her stomach. She looked down and the wounds were glowing bright red as blood seeped from them. Her eye's closed involuntarily, almost violently. Her ears shut off from outside noise. She saw only the blackness of the inside of her eyelids. Suddenly visions started to flash across her eyes, they were so vivid it was like being there. A stake through the pale body of a man, his eye's open looking at Hermione delving into her very being, she felt cold hands caressing her cheeks. The noise of baby's crying. She saw the raw bubbling flesh of a woman being burned alive, tied to a pole, the flames playfully licking at her terrified face. The tears dripping down her face and the merciless onlookers laughing. Hermione felt her stomach turning and the thick liquid raising up in her throat and gushing from her mouth. It burned her chest, her lips and her mouth. She saw Voldemort bent over a sleeping couple. His eye's full of glee and hate at the same time. Death swiftly flooded her mind as he cast the Avada Kadavra spell. She saw it was her parents and the deep hate lashed out at her mind. She couldn't cry just lay there, screaming on the inside.

She opened her eyes and the coldness hit them as tears flooded from her eyes. Her top was saturated in vomit. Her face was as pale as snow. Her pain was both physical and emotional as she wept. The cackling started up in her ears and she felt cold hands gripping her throat, squeezing, trying to push the life out. She felt compounded. The grip tightened as she tried to rip the hands off and yet there was nothing there. She started to loose consciousness. She looked up and saw the silhouettes of Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey. The hand's let go and she took in a deep revitalizing breath. She felt the room was closing in upon her, she saw the light fading as she fell asleep, her head pounded. 

She felt herself falling deep into a pit of mocking, hatred and death. Hermione found herself wanting to be there as she fell further. This lust for the collaboration of darkness was good in Hermione's eyes. She felt her body filling up being completed, she could not place what was being completed. She felt another presence that of a superior being. She heared the cackling and cherished it. She was unmoved by the most evil thoughts. She loved it.


	2. The Presence

The Haunted

**The Haunted**

Chapter II – The Presence 

She fell further into the cavity. She saw nothing but black and caught a few glimpses of sickening moments, pictures. All this time she not only built up speed but more self-hate, she loved it. She took joy in her suicidal feelings. As if she was the bully of herself, the majority of her self felt as if she was pointing and laughing at her distraught other side of herself. She was not Hermione Granger but the bully of Hermione Granger. She started lashing out trying to hurt herself. Hammering at her brittle ribs. She heard a crack as two of them gave way. She continued to fall laughing at her pain. She hit what seemed to be some sort of floor. 

'Hello Hermione' a voice said. She quickly looked around but saw nothing.

'Who are you?' she said in a distraught voice as her true self over came her other being. 'Why am I here?' The noise of babies crying started.

'I am you. I am a higher being. I have come to you not in my physical form. I have come to claim you as one of my own. I was the thing with you up on the ledge and I have been with you ever since.' said the harsh, cold voice 'Death is not possible for you know, well at least not while I am with you'

'WHO ARE YOU?' Hermione screamed before breaking down into a pale slump on the floor 'Why do you want me?' she said through sobs. A baby materialised in the air. It started to cry: it's high-pitched wail. It moved closer to Hermione, it was suspended by means that were unseen to Hermione. Its tears strolled down its cheek dropping onto its chest and continuing its path down the babies small body. She stared as the baby started to shrivel. Not in size, it's flesh shrivelled, tightening over its body. It contracted around its body. The babies ribs became visible as it lost more and more of it's fat and the skin tightened. She heard a crack as its skull caved inwards. Hermione shut her eyes and cried as her surrounding's dissolved and she dropped again. She felt a thud as if she hit her bed and woke up. The cackling started again but she ignored it.

The hospital wing was dark, undisturbed as the moonlight paraded across the floor up onto Hermione's bed sheets. The soft rustle of a thousand tree's being blown by the breeze. A small snore came from the person in the bed next to her. She thought about the dream and let out a wail as she realised her ribs were actually cracked. She thought about the event's that had occurred. _What does he mean he is with me? _Hermione thought.

'That is knowledge that you will gain Hermione. You just have to wait. It will all come in time. You will soon have power superior to those who surround you' said the harsh voice in a whisper, 'Feel my presence grow stronger, just wait'

'Who are you?' said Hermione once again. There came no reply. A gust of wind came from the window as a owl flew by. The window suddenly closed. An icy chill filled the room. She was amazed as the temperature dropped below zero so quickly. The huge room turned into a huge refrigerator. She breathed as vapour issued from her mouth.

'Switch on the damn heating' mumbled an occupier from the next bed. 'Why is it so cold?'

She heared the cackling fill the room. The fierce, cold, sharp and hate-filled cackling filling the huge dormitory. There was a mumbled scream from 2 or 3 people. _Thank God I'm not crazy_ Hermione said to herself. Madam Pomfrey ran into the room but got tripped, even though there was nothing to trip on. She screamed as she fell managing to catch onto a bedpost. The cold quickly dispersed and the room returned to the room. The cackling stopped and the window opened again.

'You liked that Hermione? You liked what you just did' the voice said.

'I didn't do anything' said Hermione 'It seems you just did that'

'That is where you are mistaken' said the harsh voice in a whisper 'Your disbelief led you to your actions, maybe you did not do that consciously, but subconsciously you made me do that. Soon that power will gain strength and you will have conscious inhuman powers'

'Leave me alone' said Hermione 'Get the hell away from me.'

She felt a sharp pain in her side. The voice cackled. The unseen body pressed against her broken rib causing her to let out a wail. She felt the oppression closing in upon her. The cackling stopped and she was once again left to the unjust cruelty of silence. She started to gain her other personality again. She pounded against her broken rib on laughing at the pain she was experiencing. She started to mentally bully herself. She lay there unable to move, pleasuring over her loneliness. As night turned into day and dark turned to light she dozed off into her dreamless sleep.

*****

She woke up as the beaming sunlight shone through the window. She felt as if it was purposely blinding her. She moaned as the pain shot from her now bandaged ribs.

'Hello' said a voice she instantly recognised as Harry's.

'Hello Harry' she said in a weak voice.

'…and Ron' said Ron in a cheery voice.

'Why did you do it?' said Harry in a very concerned almost mothering voice.

'That doesn't matter Harry, if I'll say is I wanted to do it…' started Hermione.

'I'm your friend, you can always talk to me' said Harry 'I'm always there for you'

'Well you weren't then, when I needed you most' said Hermione.

'We're sorry' said Ron in what sounded like a truly apologetic voice.

A single tear ran over Hermione's swollen cheek. Harry went to hug her and she accepted. Hermione felt a sickness in her stomach. She felt as if she was being dragged underwater. Her eyes closed and her body locked. She couldn't hear anything. She sat there motionless screaming to get out although she made no noise, a prisoner. Suddenly her eyes snapped open. She looked around shocked at the way Harry and Ron were looking at her.

'What?' said Hermione shocked 'Why are you looking at me like that?' 


End file.
